Dypsis intermedia Beentje, Palms Madagascar : 243 (1995)

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Introduction

  • A strange little palm, only known from a single forest, with leaves resembling those of D. commersoniana, and the inflorescence that of D. scottiana; the name refers to this. (Dransfield, J. & Beentje, H. 1995: The Palms of Madagascar)A

Distribution

Only known from Manombo. (Dransfield, J. & Beentje, H. 1995: The Palms of Madagascar)A

Discussion

  • Close to both D. commersoniana and D. scottiana, but probably closer to the latter. (Dransfield, J. & Beentje, H. 1995: The Palms of Madagascar)A

Diagnosis

  • Palma concinna foliolis paucis connatis inflorescentia in 2 ordines ramificanti D. commersonianae affinis sed antheris didymis distincta. (Dransfield, J. & Beentje, H. 1995: The Palms of Madagascar)A

Biology And Ecology

  • Lowland rain forest; gentle slope; 30-60 m. (Dransfield, J. & Beentje, H. 1995: The Palms of Madagascar)A

Conservation

  • Critical. Only known from a single forest, which is disappearing steadily. Numbers are estimated at less than fifty. (Dransfield, J. & Beentje, H. 1995: The Palms of Madagascar)A

Common Name

  • Not recorded. (Dransfield, J. & Beentje, H. 1995: The Palms of Madagascar)A

Uses

  • Not recorded. (Dransfield, J. & Beentje, H. 1995: The Palms of Madagascar)A

Description

  • Clustering palm in tufts of 5-7. STEMS 2-10 m tall, 1.5-3 cm diam.; internodes 6-12 cm, green, glabrous; one sterile stem seen branched once. LEAVES 7-8 in the crown, pinnate, spreading; sheath 12-15 cm long, with flaking patches of red-brown scales; petiole 14-30 cm long, 3-5 x 2-3 mm diam., with scattered scales; rachis 27-37 cm long, in mid-leaf c. 2-3 mm wide, with scattered scales; leaflets 3-7 on each side of the rachis, in groups of 2, group interval 7-20 cm, the proximal 9-21 x 0.7-2.8 cm, median 13-25 x 0.9-3.3 cm (interval 1-2 cm), with unequal, slightly truncate (proximal half of leaflet) and acuminate (distal half of leaflet) apices, distal 14-32 x 5.4-8 cm, connate for 9-16 cm, main veins 1-5 (to 9 in the distal pair), glabrous except for the very base, apices unequally acuminate, the lower margin of the tip with several teeth, distal pair dentate over a width of c. 4 cm, with teeth on the outside margins as well. INFLORESCENCE interfoliar, branched to 3 orders; peduncle 30-34 cm long, distally 4-6 x 3-4 mm diam., densely scaly; prophyll 24-28 cm long, 8-9 mm wide, borne at c. 6 cm above the base of the peduncle, opening in the distal 1 cm; peduncular bract not seen, inserted at c. 19 cm from the base of the peduncle; rachis 15-16 cm long, scaly, with c. 17 branched and 8 unbranched first order branches, the proximal of these with an axis of up to 7.5 cm and 5 branched and 10 unbranched second order branches; rachillae 0.5-2.5 cm long, c. 1 mm diam., minutely puberulous, with dense triads. STAMINATE FLOWERS with sepals 0.6-0.7 x 0.6-0.8 mm; petals in bud 1.3-1.5 x 0.8-1 mm; stamens 6, uniseriate, filaments 0.4-0.7 mm, anthers 0.7-0.8 x 0.3-0.4 mm, versatile; pistillode c. 0.3-0.4 x 0.3 mm. PISTILLATE FLOWERS unknown. FRUIT unknown. (Dransfield, J. & Beentje, H. 1995: The Palms of Madagascar)A

Materials Examined

  • Farafangana: Manombo, Nov. 1991 (dead infl.), Beentje 4517 (K); idem, Jan. 1993 (bud), Beentje & Andriampaniry 4794 (K, TAN). (Dransfield, J. & Beentje, H. 1995: The Palms of Madagascar)A

Bibliography

    A. Dransfield, J. & Beentje, H. 1995: The Palms of Madagascar